Is college the "great equalizer" that opens up economic opportunity for lower-income, disadvantaged, and minority families? The St. Louis Fed’s Center for Household Financial Stability found that, since 1992, whites and Asians with college degrees have seen their wealth soar while blacks and Hispanics with college degrees have seen their wealth plummet. William R. Emmons, lead economist for the center, will look at what underlies this troubling finding, and how college, which is increasingly necessary for financial success, can truly expand economic opportunity in the U.S.

Robert Hopkinswill deliver welcoming remarks. Hopkins issenior vice president and regional executive of the St. Louis Fed’s Little Rock Branch and also oversees consumer compliance supervision and community development at the Bank. Ray Boshara, director of the center, will then set the stage for Emmons' presentation. After the presentation, Boshara will moderate a panel discussion featuring Emmons, Angelyque Campbell, manager of policy analysis and communications for the Federal Reserve Board of Governors consumer and community affairs division, and Lowell Ricketts, lead analyst at St. Louis Fed’s Center for Household Financial Stability.

The event is free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis. Registration is required and will close at noon, Monday, May 22, or as soon as all seats are filled.